EA laces C&C4 with Ubisoft-like always-on DRM

Ubisoft caught some serious flak over its controversial DRM, but it seems EA's not afraid of a few pitch forks and torches. The company has reportedly included a similar always-connected DRM mechanism in its latest Command & Conquer title. According to a moderator on the official C&C4 forums, the game "has no DRM. Zip, zero, zilch, none" -- but a few lines later he said it requires a constant Internet connection. The post has since been edited to exclude that faux pas.

In a review of Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, Eurogamer highlighted some of the game's issues -- most of which should sound familiar if you read anythingabout theUbisoftdebacle. The site says that C&C4 is constantly monitor and uploading your experience-point count, and thus the game is always online. If your connection drops for any reason, you will be kicked from the game -- even in single player -- and the game won't attempt to reconnect, so your session is totally lost.

It's also noted that C&C4 plays well on a mid-range laptop, which would make it a great title to pick up while traveling, but without a strong Wi-Fi signal that isn't currently possible. It's unclear whether EA will incorporate these limitations into other titles, and let us pray that other companies won't resort to always-on schemes.